The Donne Triptych (or Donne Altarpiece) is a hinged-triptych altarpiece by the Early Netherlandish painter Hans Memling. The painting was created around 1478 for the soldier, courtier and diplomat Sir John Donne.[1] The triptych comprises three panels that include five individual paintings. The central interior panel depicts the Virgin and Child, donor portraits of Sir John Donne, the patron, along with his wife and daughter, as well as Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Barbra, The two double-sided wings include images of Saint John the Baptist, Saint John the Evangelist on the interior sides of the wings, and Saint Christopher and Saint Anthony Abbot on the two exteriors of the wings.
The donor, Sir John Donne of Kidwelly, was a Picardy-born Welsh diplomat for the House of York who visited Bruges at least once, in 1468 to attend Charles the Bold and Margaret of York's wedding; how he became acquainted with Memling is as uncertain as when he commissioned the triptych.[5]
The triptych is kept in the collection of the National Gallery, London, with the panels still in their original frames.
Patron and commission
Donor portrait of Sir John Donne, patron of the Donne Triptych
Sir John Donne, of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, a courtier to the English King Edward IV (r. 1461–1470 and 1471–1483) and a loyal supporter of the House of York, perhaps commissioned the painting on a visit to Bruges in 1479 after seeing Hans Memling's St. John Altarpiece that had been created in the mid-1470s for Old St. John's Hospital (Sint-Janshospitaal).[6][7][2][8][9] Scholars have proposed that it is likely that the St. John Altarpiece was taken into consideration in the contract between Donne and Memling, as the composition, architectural setting, figural placement a virtually the same.[6][8] Memling was known to re-use, recycle, and recombine workshop patterns in order to run an efficient workshop.[8] The Donne Triptych is crafted with oil paint on wood and is also framed in oak wood.[8]
Donne Coat of arms
Sir John Donne's coat of arms hanging from the column capitals in the Donne Triptych
Campbell has identified Donne's coat of arms as “Azure, a wolf salient argent" and they can clearly be seen attached to the two column capitals that flank the canopied throne of the Virgin Mary in the central panel of the triptych.[8][10] The armorial escutcheons are also found in the stained glass seen in the right wing with the figure of Saint John the Evangelist.[8][10] Simiarly, an image of the Donne coat of arms, along with a donor portrait of Sir John Donne, can be seen in the Louthe Hours (also known as the Donne Hours), painted by Simon Marmion c.1480.[10]
Donne Livery Collars
Yorkist Collar on Lady DonneYorkist Collar on Sir John Donne
A livery collar represents a royal symbol presented to people who served in the royal household, sheriffs and those who expressed loyalty during the battlefield.[11] There were two different types of livery collars in England during the fifteenth century: the Lancastrian and the Yorkist collar. [12] In the painting, both Sir John Donne and his wife Elizabeth are donned with Yorkist collars. Their collars include the roses and suns of the House of York, as well as white the lion which hangs suspended at the center, to demonstrate their political fidelity to the House of York.[13]
Description of the exterior panels
Exterior panels of the Donne Triptych depicting Saint Christopher and Saint Anthony Abbot
The exterior panels are only seen when the triptych is closed, and two saints anchor the wings: Saint Christopher and Saint Anthony Abbot, both executed in the grisaille technique, imitating marble or stone statues in niches.[8][13][14] Both saints are shown with light shining on them, casting shadows behind them.[13]
While it remains unknown as to why these two Saints were included in the triptych, the patron, Sire John Donne, likely had a particular devotional interest in them.[10][13] Saint Christopher and Saint Anthony Abbot are often associated with protection and healing.[13]
In the left niche of the triptych, Saint Christopher holds a flowering staff, and carries the Christ-Child on his shoulders, who raises his hand in a blessing gesture toward Saint Anthony.[15] In the niche on the right, Saint Anthony holds a book and a bell in his right hand, a staff in his left, and a pig at his side.[15]
Description of the interior panels
Central panel
Sir John Donne is honored by the inclusion of two saints, Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist, who share his name with him.[14]
Left panel
On the left side of the painting, Saint John the Baptist holds a lamb, representing the Lamb of God. [15][16] Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of baptism, monastics, and converts, among many other things.[17] There is a man with a red hat behind him who is looking at the family and the Virgin and the Child.[6] Some have argued that the man is the artist's self-portrait.[18]
Portrait of a man in a red hat standing behind Saint John the Baptist in the left panelSaint John the Evangelist, along with a peacock in the background and Donne's coat of arms in the stained glass windows (Right Panel)
Right panel
On the right side, Saint John the Evangelist is seen with a cup.[15] Saint John the Evangelist is the Patron Saint of love, of loyalty, of friendships, and of authors.[19] In the background, there is a peacock surrounded by a ruined building.[13] Scholars have suggested that the peacock symbolizes as eternity rising. Memling makes use of these abandon in other works, such as Diptych with the Allegory of True Love and Munich Scenes from the Advent and Triumph of Christ.[13]
John the Evangelist can be seen in the shutters in the right panel.[16] He also can be seen making the sign of the cross with a poisoned cup.[15] St. John the Evangelist's presence may have been due to a long medieval tradition of combining the two St. Johns as it's believed that John the Evangelist reinforces the patronage of St. John the Baptist.[9] This is believed due to the sharing of names, but also due to that St. John the Evangelist died on the day that St. John the Baptist was born.[9]
Style and technique
The Donne Triptych exhibits underdrawing that reveals the evolution of its composition, highlighting differences between the underdrawing and the final painting, as well as changes within the underdrawing itself, which provide insights into the creative process of the artist.[20] The style and extent of the underdrawing suggest the use of workshop patterns combined with individualized adjustments for specific commissioned works.[20]
The composition likely relied on pre-existing drawings and workshop patterns for its overall design and intricate details, such as figures and textiles.[20] In the case of commissioned pieces, it was customary to present a drawing or model of the proposed composition to the patron, and the transfer of the design to the panel might have been executed by workshop assistants rather than Memling himself, who likely intervened in areas of the composition without pre-existing models.[20]
Additionally, figures, poses, and design elements were frequently reused in Memling's works and those of his workshop. A recurring design for the cloths of honor appears in the Donne Triptych and three other paintings by Memling, with identical motif sizes indicating a mechanical method of transfer.[20] The repetition and consistency of designs, such as the brocade patterns used in the backgrounds, suggest the employment of a mechanical technique to reproduce these intricate patterns, connecting Memling’s works to broader workshop practices of the time and paralleling the methods of other painters like Stephan Lochner.[20]
Brush Strokes
Infra-red reflectograms of the Donne Triptych reveal visible brushstrokes in the priming layer beneath the paint, indicating that this layer was applied independently of the final image composition.[20] Notably, there is an absence of the layered gesso preparation typical of fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Italian paintings, such as the coarse "gesso grosso" followed by the fine "gesso sottile."[20] Instead, the panels of the Donne Triptych are crafted from finer-grained, higher-quality wood, which may have diminished the need for a thick ground layer.[20]
Additionally, technical comparisons with early Netherlandish paintings, including those by Memling, show a preference for a thinner priming layer over the ground, contrasting with some Italian practices that utilized thicker preparations, especially in gilded areas or relief designs carved into the ground.[20] The priming layer exhibits a streaky and discontinuous appearance in certain cross-sections, suggesting it was applied with visible brushstrokes, which can be detected through methods such as infra-red reflectograms, X-radiographs, and raking light.[20]
Influence
Hans Memling was a significant figure in Northern Renaissance painting, celebrated for his intricate oil paintings and portraits that showcase the artistic advancements of the era. He made a notable impact on the evolution of portraiture and religious art, shaping how artists conveyed realism and emotion in their creations. His expertise in oil painting techniques also played a key role in the rise of smaller, portable panel paintings, enabling the production of more personal and intimate artworks.[citation needed]
Memling's artwork clearly illustrates the influence of his contemporaries in the art scene. He drew inspiration from the compositions of Jan van Eyck, a key figure in the Bruges school. Additionally, you can observe elements from artists like Dieric Bouts and Hugo van der Goes, characterized by features like reflective mirrors, intricate tiled floors, elaborately canopied beds, exotic textiles, and richly decorated clothing. Most importantly, Memling shows a deep comprehension of and dependence on the compositions and figure styles pioneered by Rogier van der Weyden.[citation needed]
Provenance
The triptych was part of the Earl of Burlington in the Chiswick collection that was later received by one of Jone Donne's descendants in Chatsworth in 1892. The National Gallery in London acquired the painting in 1957 from the Duke of Devonshire's Collection.[8][13]
1 2 3 Ainsworth, Maryan W.; Christiansen, Keith (1998). From Van Eyck to Bruegel: Early Netherlandish Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN9780300086096. OCLC39131019.
1 2 3 Nelson-Blum, Shirley (1969). Early Netherlandish Triptychs: A Study in Patronage. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. p.92. ISBN9780520014442. OCLC120013.
↑ Ward, Matthew (2016). The Livery Collar in Late Medieval England and Wales: Politics, Identity and Affinity. Woodbridge: The Boydell Press. doi:10.1515/9781782047681. ISBN978-1-78204-768-1.
Hans Memling was a German-Flemish painter who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. Born in the Middle Rhine region, he probably spent his childhood in Mainz. During his apprenticeship as a painter he moved to the Netherlands and spent time in the Brussels workshop of Rogier van der Weyden. In 1465 he was made a citizen of Bruges, where he became one of the leading artists and the master of a large workshop. A tax document from 1480 lists him among the wealthiest citizens. Memling's religious works often incorporated donor portraits of the clergymen, aristocrats, and burghers who were his patrons. These portraits built upon the styles which Memling learned in his youth.
Sir John Donne was a Welsh courtier, diplomat and soldier, a notable figure of the Yorkist party. In the 1470s, he commissioned the Donne Triptych, a triptych altarpiece by Hans Memling now in the National Gallery, London. It contains portraits of him, his wife Elizabeth and a daughter. He may well have been related to the Jacobean poet John Donne, although not as a direct ancestor, as he had no Donne grandchildren.
Early Netherlandish painting is the body of work by artists active in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period, once known as the Flemish Primitives. It flourished especially in the cities of Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Leuven, Tournai and Brussels, all in present-day Belgium. The period begins approximately with Robert Campin and Jan van Eyck in the 1420s and lasts at least until the death of Gerard David in 1523, although many scholars extend it to the start of the Dutch Revolt in 1566 or 1568–Max J. Friedländer's acclaimed surveys run through Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Early Netherlandish painting coincides with the Early and High Italian Renaissance, but the early period is seen as an independent artistic evolution, separate from the Renaissance humanism that characterised developments in Italy. Beginning in the 1490s, as increasing numbers of Netherlandish and other Northern painters traveled to Italy, Renaissance ideals and painting styles were incorporated into northern painting. As a result, Early Netherlandish painters are often categorised as belonging to both the Northern Renaissance and the Late or International Gothic.
Stefan Lochner was a German painter working in the late International Gothic period. His paintings combine that era's tendency toward long flowing lines and brilliant colours with the realism, virtuoso surface textures and innovative iconography of the early Northern Renaissance. Based in Cologne, a commercial and artistic hub of northern Europe, Lochner was one of the most important German painters before Albrecht Dürer. Extant works include single-panel oil paintings, devotional polyptychs and illuminated manuscripts, which often feature fanciful and blue-winged angels. Today some thirty-seven individual panels are attributed to him with confidence.
Joos van Cleve was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540 or 1541. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the traditional techniques of Early Netherlandish painting with influences of more contemporary Renaissance painting styles.
The Beaune Altarpiece is a large polyptych c. 1443–1451 altarpiece by the Early Netherlandish artist Rogier van der Weyden, painted in oil on oak panels with parts later transferred to canvas. It consists of fifteen paintings on nine panels, of which six are painted on both sides. Unusually for the period, it retains some of its original frames.
The Master of the Morrison Triptych is the name given to an unknown Early Netherlandish painter active in Antwerp around 1500-1510. He is named for the Morrison Triptych, now in Toledo, Ohio, United States, which is described below.
A donor portrait or votive portrait is a portrait in a larger painting or other work showing the person who commissioned and paid for the image, or a member of his, or her, family. Donor portrait usually refers to the portrait or portraits of donors alone, as a section of a larger work, whereas votive portrait may often refer to a whole work of art intended as an ex-voto, including for example a Madonna, especially if the donor is very prominent. The terms are not used very consistently by art historians, as Angela Marisol Roberts points out, and may also be used for smaller religious subjects that were probably made to be retained by the commissioner rather than donated to a church.
The Braque Triptych is a c. 1452 oil-on-oak altarpiece by the Early Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden. When open, its three half-length panels reveal, from left to right, John the Baptist, The Virgin Mary with Jesus and Saint John the Evangelist, and on the right, Mary Magdalene. When the wings are closed, the work shows a vanitas motif of a skull and cross.
The Lamentation of Christ is an oil-on-panel painting of the common subject of the Lamentation of Christ by the Netherlandish artist Rogier van der Weyden, dating from around 1460–1463 and now in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
The Miraflores Altarpiece is a c. 1442-5 oil-on-oak wood panel altarpiece by the Early Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden, in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin since 1850.
Triptych of the Sedano family is an oil-on-panel triptych altarpiece by the Early Netherlandish painter Gerard David, usually dated between 1490 and 1498, probably c. 1495. It is noted for its innovative framing and for its rendering of the decorative oriental carpet seen at Mary's feet.
The Master of the Prado Adoration of the Magi was a Netherlandish painter active between c. 1475 and 1500 whose identity is now lost. He is thought to have originated from the southern Netherlands and is known for his vibrant colourisation in panels depicting scenes from the infancy of Christ, he is thought to have been a pupil of Rogier van der Weyden, and is named after a copy of the "Adoration of the Magi" panel from that painter's St Columba Altarpiece. Although the Magi became a popular topic for northern painters in the second half of the 15th century and the Columba altarpiece was widely copied, the master is associated with van der Weyden's workshop because the copy is so close, it is believed he must have had access to a reproduction of the underdrawing.
The St John Altarpiece is a large oil-on-oak hinged-triptych altarpiece completed around 1479 by the Early Netherlandish master painter Hans Memling. It was commissioned in the mid-1470s in Bruges for the Old St. John's Hospital (Sint-Janshospitaal) during the building of a new apse. It is signed and dated 1479 on the original frame – its date of installation – and is today still at the hospital in the Memling museum.
The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine is a c. 1480 oil-on-oak painting by the Early Netherlandish painter Hans Memling, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The Virgin Mary sits on a throne in a garden holding the Child Jesus in her lap. Mother and child are flanked by angels playing musical instruments, with St Catherine of Alexandria to the left opposite St Barbara on the right. The male figure standing slightly behind the celestial group presumably commissioned the painting as a devotional donor portrait.
The Saint Columba Altarpiece is a large c. 1450–1455 oil-on-oak wood panel altarpiece by Early Netherlandish painter Rogier van der Weyden painted during his late period. It was commissioned for the church of St. Columba in Cologne, and is now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich. It depict scenes from the early life of Jesus. They show, from left to right, the Annunciation, the Adoration of the Magi and the Presentation, when she presents the infant at the Temple in Jerusalem. In each panel, Mary is distinguished by her blue clothes. The reverse of the exterior panels are covered with plain paint and lack indication that they ever contained donor portraits as were typical for the time.
The Adoration of the Kings by the Early Netherlandish painter Gerard David is a painting in oil on panel, probably from after 1515, now in the National Gallery in London. The painted surface measures some 60 by 59.2 centimetres, and the panel is about 2 centimetres (0.79 in) larger in both dimensions. The panel comes from a dismantled altarpiece from which one other panel appears to survive, the Lamentation that is also in the National Gallery.
The Moreel Triptych is the name given to a 1484 panel painting by the Early Netherlandish painter Hans Memling. It was commissioned by the prominent Bruges politician, merchant and banker Willem Moreel and his wife Barbara van Vlaenderberch, née van Hertsvelde. It was intended as their epitaph at the chapel of the St. James's Church, Bruges, an extension they had paid for.
Portrait of Tommaso Portinari by Hans Memling is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. It was made c.1470 in oil on oak panel, and measures 44.1 by 33.7 centimetres. The painting and Memling's Portrait of Maria Portinari form the wings from a since dismantled triptych; the central panel is believed to have been a now lost depiction of the Madonna and Child; perhaps Memling's Virgin and Child in the National Gallery, London.
The Pagagnotti Triptych is an oil-on-wood triptych by Hans Memling produced circa 1480. The original was disassembled and separated, with the center panel held at the Uffizi gallery in Florence and the two wing panels at the National Gallery in London.
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